L'Eau d'Issey Summer Edition by Kevin Lucbert

It's somewhere between a good-smelling sun lotion and a Southeast Asian spa scent. And no, India is not in southeast Asia, so this is not an Indian spa scent. Think more of a Thai spa or something of the sort. This is quite like that. Very soothing, relaxing, and not at all pungent. It does run the risk of being akin to a room freshener, but an expensive and a good one. I got this one because I don't have frangipani perfumes prior to this, though I've always loved the smell of frangipani. If you're looking for a good frangipani scent, this is a solid pick. It contains other notes as well but the frangipani is most prominent. Too bad it's not widely available. I hope more people get to try it out. PS. I think it's better than l'Eau d'Issey Shade of Sunrise, which also has frangipani as the prominent note. This one doesn't cause me to sneeze and is milder and less potent by comparison.

I was disappointed initially, not least because the inferior quality of the packaging was too obvious not to think that they must have cut corners on the juice as well. However, I’m starting to appreciate it as I start wearing it. I can smell water (is that the ‘infamous’ calone?) and citrus at the opening. The water did trigger a faint memory of the OG in me, as indeed intended by the perfumers. I love both the Calabrian bergamot and neroli, but I couldn’t tell them apart until the second wear when I did smell neroli a tiny bit. I then pick some rose and a smidgeon of orange blossom if I work my nose hard. However, I can’t say that I recognise the frangipani even though reviews point to its prominence. I ordered this blindly because it’s voted frangipani-forward, and it was not available for sampling. I got interested in the note after smelling plumeria flowers at a garden centre. I think Cool Water Sensual Essence Davidoff comes close to what I have in mind, but not this. Maybe I just don’t remember the scent of those flowers right. Anyway, this dries down for me to a specific note that I can’t identify. Is this the mysterious driftwood? It seems to fit the salty-aromatic description more than anything. I don’t detect musk, strangely, but there is a lactonic hint presumably from the coconut milk. Overall, it’s a subtle, airy fragrance. It’s ‘atmospheric’ if this word can be used to describe a scent. I see a definite similarity between this fragrance and Sunny Diane.

Delicious. It's not as watery as I was expecting - more of a creamy sun lotion smell. I got frangipani from the start, a breezy take on frangipani but still sweet and tropical. There's some rose in there and a healthy dose of coconut milk. It develops nicely and it will be lovely on a hot day - it's not overbearing at all, it creates a soft cloud of fragrance.

I love the original L'Eau d'Issey (both the male and the female version) and had one of the summer flankers about 20 years ago, and I was excited to try this one. It did not disappoint! The top note is a beautiful neroli, not pungent at all. I very soon get the frangipani which is elevating and gives the fragrance a sort of "very posh sunscreen" vibe. The rose adds a nice and elegant touch. There's only the slightest hint of aquatic notes. I love this fragrance in hot summer when I don't feel like wearing my citrusy hot weather perfumes, namely Chanel Eau Cristalle Verte and Issey Miyake A Scent. The longevity and sillage are moderate. For a long office day, I need to reapply from a pocket atomizer. However, I have a 100 ml bottle. The price and value are really good so reapplying is not a problem. I only wish I'd get more of the aquatic notes. I find this fragrance to be very similar to Avon's "Tahitian Holiday" but a little lighter, a little more elegant and a little less coconutty.

Some of the notes seem to be really great, not that keen on coconut, though. Definitely on my "sniff " list.